N O T FO R PUB L ICAT IO N UNIT E D ST AT E S CO URT O F APPE AL S FO R T H E NINT H CIRCUIT RO B E RT O JUL IAN GA L ICIA,

Pe t i tione r, v. L O RE T T A E . L YNCH , Attor ne y G e ne r al, R e sponde nt. No. 14-70864 Age n c y No. A072-673-575 M E M O RANDUM *

On Pe tition for Re vie w of a n Orde r of the B oa rd of Im m igration Appe a ls Argue d a nd Subm itte d

June 10, 2016 Pa sa de n a , C a l ifornia B e fore : K O Z INSKI and W ARDL AW , C i rc u it Judge s, a nd K O RM AN , ** Distric t Judge . 1. Ga lic ia

pe titions for re vie w of the B IA’ s de nia l of his a pplic ations for a sy lum , withholding of rem ova l a nd prote c tion unde r the C onve ntion Against



# FIL ED OCT 24 2016 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U
. S
. CO URT O F APPEALS

* This disposition is not a ppropria te for public at ion a

nd is not pre c e de nt e xc e pt a s provide d

by Ninth C irc uit R

ule 36-3.

* * The Honora

ble Edwa rd R . Korm an, Unite d Stat e s Distric t Judge for the E a s te rn Distric t of Ne w York, sitting by de signa tion.pa ge 2

Torture (C AT). W e de ny Ga l ic ia ’ s pe tition be c a

use the a ge n c y ’ s a dve rse c re d ibility

finding wa s supporte d by substa ntia l e v ide nc e . Se e Shre stha v. Holde r, 590 F.3d 1034, 1039 (9th C ir. 2010). Ga lic ia fa ile d to m e ntion in his a pplic ations a

“ d ram atic , pivota l e ve nt,” Alva re z -Santos v. I.N.S., 332 F.3d 1245, 1254 (9th Cir. 2003), tha t a l le ge dly pre c ipita te d his flight from

Guate m a la . During his re m ova l proc e e dings in 2012, Ga lic ia , for the first tim e , te stifie d tha t he fle d Gua

te m a la a fte r witne s sing gue rrilla s kill his fa

t he r be fore his ve ry e y e s. B ut in thede c la rations file d with his a sy lum a pplic ations, Ga lic ia

ha d sta te d tha t his fa t he r wa s kidna

p pe d five da

y s a fte r he le ft Guate m a l a . Se e Pa l v. I.N.S., 204 F.3d 935, 938 (9th C ir. 2000) (holding tha

t m a jor inc onsiste nc ie s be twe e n pe titione r’ s te s tim ony and a pplic ation support a dve rse c re dibility finding). This om

i ssion is not trivia

l an d c annot be e xpla ine d by

“ the norm a l limi ts of hum an unde rsta nding a nd m e m ory .” Shre shta , 590 F.3d a

t 1044. B a se d on this om ission, the a ge n c y ’ s a dve rse c re dibility de te rm i nation wa s m ore tha n re a sona ble . Se e id. a

t 1041. Ga lic ia c onte nds tha

t the a ge nc y , in re a c hing its ad ve rse c re dibility

de c ision, didn’ t suffic ie ntly

c onside r his a ge at the tim e of the a lle ge d pe rse c ution. W he re a sy lum a pplic ants c la im

pa st pe rse c ution a s c hildre n, the a g e nc y m ust de te rm ine whe the r the ha

rm s the y e xpe rie nc e d rose to the le ve l of pe rse c ution bypa ge 3

“ m e a sur[ing] the de gre e of the ir injurie s by the ir im pa c t on c hildre n of the ir a ge s.” He rnande z -Ortizv. Gonz a le s, 496 F.3d 1042, 1046 (9th C ir. 2007). B ut he re , the a ge nc y didn’ t ha

ve to de c ide whe the r a

nine y e ar old who witne sse d gue rilla s kill his fa the r suffe re d pa st pe rse c ution be c a use Ga lic i a

fa ile d to e sta

blish tha t the a lle ge d e v e nt inde e d ha

ppe ne d. The a ge n c y ’ s a dve rse c re dibility finding is further supporte d by an inc o nsiste nc y

be twe e n Ga lic ia ’ s te stim ony tha t he ne ve r re turne d to Gua te m a la and his sta t e m e nts to thec ontra

ry during his a sy l um

and spe c ia l rule c anc e l lation inte rvie ws, a s indic ate d by the im m igration offic e rs’ note s. Ga l ic ia ’ s e xpla nation that his m othe r’ s fune ra l wa s in El Sa lva dor, not in Gua te m a l a , doe sn’ t c om

pe l us to hold otherwise . It doe sn’ t e xpla in the tim e he a ppa re ntly re turne d to Gua te m a l a to c l a im his la nd. M ore ove r, Ga lic i a

c ouldn’ t ha

ve gone to El Sa lva dor by bus, a s he initia lly te s tifie d, without going through Gua t e m a la . Ga lic ia

c ould ha ve flown dire c tly from M e xic o to El Sa lva dor, a s he late r te stifie d, but it’ s im pla usible tha t he boa rde d the pla

ne without a

ny form of ide ntific ation othe r tha n his birth c e rtific ate . R e ly ing on Singh v. Gonz a le s, 403 F.3d 1081 (9th C i r. 2005), Ga lic ia argue s that the im m igration offic e rs’ note s c annot form the ba sis of a

n a dve rse c re dibility de te rm i nation. B ut the fe ature s tha t m a de the a sy lum

offic e r’ s “ c onc l usory ” note spa ge 4

in his “Asse ssm e nt To R e fe r” a “ pote ntia l ly

unre lia ble point of c om

pa rison to [Singh’ s] te stim ony ” are a b se nt he re . Id. at

1087–90. In this c a se , the offic e rs took c onte m

pora ne o us note s a s Ga lic ia

m a d e sta te m e nts unde r oath, with the a id of inte rpre te rs who we re a l so unde r oath. Se e id. In the a bse nc e of c re d i ble te stim ony , Ga lic i a ’ s a sy l um and withholding of re m ova l c la im s fa i l. As for his C AT c la im , the gove rnm e nt a rgue s tha t Ga lic ia wa ive d it. B ut e ve n if he didn’ t, this c la im would fa il be c a use it’ s ba se d on the sam e inc re d ible te stim ony , a nd Ga lic ia

doe s n’ t point to a

ny othe r e vide nc e tha

t c om pe ls us to c o nc l ude tha

t it’ s m ore like ly

tha n not tha t he would betorture d if re turne d to Gua

t e m a la . 2. W e do not de c ide whe the r Ga lic i a ’ s a sy lum a pplic ation wa s tim e ly . Eve n if the a pplic at ion wa s tim e ly , the B IA prope rly de nie d it ba se d on thea dve rse c re d ibility

de te rm inat ion. DE NIE D.